WEDNESDAY 16 DECEMBER 2009THE HINDU - BUSINESS LINEBANGALORE

A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

People traveling from majestic area to Rajajinagar in Bangalore would have seen this gigantic project coming up near Rajajinagar entrance. It is the Golden Heights Project by Sumangala Properties and it is all set to change the way people live in Bangalore west as it is such first protect in the area. Golden Heights is strategically located with a wide frontage on a four-acre plot. It has 4.25 lakh superbuilt area with state-of-the-art infrastructure and good parking facilities. There will be a 140 room business hotel and international format food court. It will have office space for corporates, IT and ITES with support services. It will also have an interesting mix of retail occupants including a hyper mart.

“Besides the excellent location of Golden Heights (the spaces come with Grade A+ specifications), the surrounding areas are dense residential localities with a huge population of working age professionals. The proximity of the Office space to where they live makes it an attractive destination due to low commuting times, savings in providing transport, reduced fatigue caused by long-distance travel & other related benefits. It is win-win opportunity for both employers and employees,” says Mr. Vijaykumar Yadalam, Director, Sumangala Properties.

Golden Heights boasts of numerous energy-efficient and green-building features. The construction is nearing completion and the office space is ready for fit-outs.

Residents from northwest Bangalore won’t have to drive all the way to Garuda Mall or Forum anymore Article by SHILPA BANSAL, Rajajinagar

The developing Devanahalli area already has an Esteem Mall which has become convenient for locals in and around Hebbal and Devanahalli. It’s just that a few of them feel that Esteem should get a multiplex. Last week when Northwest Plus spoke to style guru Prasad Bidapa who stays in Yelahanka, he had said, “I really miss a multiplex here. It would be nice if we got a screen in Esteem Mall.” As far as residents in Rajajinagar, Malleswaram, Basaveshwaranagar and Vijayanagar are considered, they still have to drive to the city center or at least till Mysore Road to Gopalan Mall. But all that may change in a few months.

A series of malls proposed by well known developers are finding their way into Rajajinagar and Rajarajeshwarinagar (RR Nagar). One of these malls is by Gopalan Enterprises in RR Nagar. Gopalan already has a mall on Mysore Road. “We are targeting areas which are away from the city center but have equally strong consumer power. At the same time, we’re not looking at a high-end mall as we know that in such traditional areas, our target audience will be the middle class” says Prabhakar C, director, Gopalan Enterprises.

“The reason why we’re doing well on Mysore Road is because we have carefully selected brands and placed them well. Secondly, we have a lot of customers coming in for the new experience of mall going. But this has nothing to do with the proposed mall in RR Nagar, because the target market there is quite different from what we have on Mysore Road; RR Nagar is an independent city in itself,” explains Prabhakar.

But not all mall-goers are happy with the Gopalan Mall, especially the students from colleges in RR Nagar and Mysore Road, “I hardly go to Gopalan because I don’t like the variety that they offer and we’re so use to seeing Garuda and Forum; Gopalan is nowhere close to those,” says Niranjan GN, a student of RV Engineering College on Mysore Road. “But maybe the one is RR Nagar will be good. That will be closer for us as well,” he adds.Those residing in Rajajinagar, Basaveshwarnagar and Magadi Road can dream of a mall next door as well. Ramkumar Mills Pvt Ltd is coming up with Golden Heights on their existing property at Rajajinagar entrance. “The entire project is divided into three portions- one will have a Prestigious Single Retail Occupant spread across 1.5 lakh sq. ft., the second will have a three star hotel by Sarovar Hotels with 125 rooms, swimming pool and other amenities and the remaining will be commercial office space. This project will cater to all kind of consumers,” says Komari Gowda, General Manager, Sumangala Properties.

There’s also a proposed Global Mall project by Shobha Developers which has been in the pipeline for a few years now and is expected to take shape soon. “The delay was due to some approval problems but we are set to take off,” says Mathew Mammen, executive director, Shobha Developers. Why did they choose Rajajinagar and Magadi Road Junction for a mall? “Once we got the property we did a survey and realized that residents here need a mall more than apartments as there was nothing close by. So, we thought of making it a big shopping space along with entertainment. There will be a good mix of brands and ample parking space. Global Mall will also have serviced apartments-cum-hotels, commercial showrooms and a multiplex. We will finalise the plan by the end of this month and work on the mall will start by mid 2009. To avoid traffic snarls, the mall will have two entrances - one from Magadi Road and the other from Sujata Road, “explains Mathew.

And the residents can’t just wait to have their neighbourhood mall. “A mall is definitely needed in our area. The location of the mall is very important and both these malls seem to have kept that in mind,” says Pushpa Nair, resident of Dr Rajkumar Road. Adds Sudhakar HB, Resident of Magadi Road, “Though our area is traditional we have a lot of youngsters who are very brand conscious and these malls will cater to the needs of such consumers”.